Posted on 12/13/2008 9:14:39 AM PST by TornadoAlley3
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – On the day Muslims around the world began to celebrate Eid al-Adha, Fatuma Mohamed was at the Mall of America (MOA), far away from where she would normally say her prayers.
But she and other Muslims needed to take time from the activities of the mall and find a quiet area to pray as Muslims do during the festival that commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his only son for God.
“I said my prayer right at that corner,” Mohamed said, pointing to the spot.
Another Muslim, Amran Ali, did the same.
“I had to say my prayer at a corner,” Ali said. “I was stared at, but no one bothered me.”
Every year, as Muslims in America are compelled to engage in business, work and shopping during the holidays, many find themselves away from mosques and other places where they can hold prayers without interruption. They are forced to seek privacy in corners and alleyways, places that often subject them to unwanted attention. Some Muslims also worry that their repetitive calls of “Allah akbar!” (God is great!) during prayers could be misconstrued as calls for Jihad.
“Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
This year Muslim leaders from the Twin Cities area were able to persuade MOA, the largest enclosed mall in the United States, to set aside a room for prayers.
“I learned quite a bit from my last meeting with the community,” said Douglas Reynolds, MOA’s security director.
But Mohamed and other Muslims did not know there was a prayer room, even though MOA and Muslim volunteers had intended to have eight posters in three languages, (English, Somali and Arabic) to be displayed at all entrances to the mall.
“I didn’t notice any signs,” Mohamed said.
Reynolds said many might have missed the signs because MOA and the Muslim leaders did not advise the community about the prayer room before this week’s observance of Eid al-Adha. The signs also went up too late in the day, Reynolds said.
“It would have been nice to get the message out to the community earlier,” Reynolds said. “The signs were also not available until 4:30 p.m.”
He promised that MOA would “do a better job next time.”
Regardless of the glitch, many Muslims appeared excited that the MOA reserved prayer space for them and promised to continue doing so in the future.
“It is about time,” Jamad Barrow said. “I’m happy to hear that the mall is trying to accommodate and appeal to the Muslim community.”
Sheikh Neelain Muhammad, an imam at the St.Paul-based Da’wa Islamic Center, and five other volunteers from the center were among the many volunteers who were at the mall to make sure that day went on without incidents, especially from teenagers.
Reynolds, the MOA security director, said that community volunteers were very helpful.
“At one point, Sheikh Neelain Muhammad and his team were spotted talking to the youth and telling them to behave … and so, they did.”
The presence of culturally competent volunteers at the mall avoided the law enforcement solution that often leads to the arrest of Muslim youths.
“No one youth that was acting out that didn’t change after we talked with him or her,” Sheikh Muhammad said.
Mahmood Kanyare, one of the community volunteers, said the volunteers reminded the youth about good manners in Islam.
“They were all responsive to our messages and behaved well as a result,” Kanyare said.
The day ended with a positive note for both MOA and the Muslim community. No one was arrested and only few were asked to leave.
Reynolds, the director of security, said he hoped to continue building MOA’s relationship with the Muslim community.
Just as the UK has fallen so shall we! I’m sick!
Where is the ACLU on this? Prayer in a public place? My goodness- the ACLU should be screaming bloody murder- oh wait- they only do that about CHRISTIAN prayer in public.
Shopping Jihadis... economics over security.
Oh PUKE!
Christians pray at malls all the time. I’m sure the mall leaders would be willing to set aside another room just for us. YEAH, RIGHT!
“Mall of America Moves to Accommodate Minnesota Muslims”
I’m surprised there are any muzzies left in Minneapolis...I thought all those “missing” Somali muzzies were back in Somalia training to destroy the great satan.
Could anybody, other than a Moslem, do this in Saudi Arabia? I'll leave the answer to your imagination.
>> “Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
I feel the very same way...
They found them and brought them back... =-(
Christians should call for a prayer room for every one built at every mall, every airport, every crevice. The Fair-prayer Doctrine.
So long as the prayer room is available to all faiths and not just one, there is no problem with this.
...strap on their bomb vests.
The Freedom From Religion atheists are only against public signs of Christianity (we aren’t even talking prayer rooms). All other faiths get a pass.
And a private business can do what the corporation wants to do but this is a strange thing to embrace. How did the muslims in America go about their 5 times daily prayers until now? What has changed? Oh, that’s right we got attacked on 9-11 and now it is wrong to be critical of Islam.
“Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
I was educated on 9/11, thank you! /sarc
“Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
Everything I needed to know about your “peaceful” religion I learned on 9/11.
If it’s a private company, they should be able to do whatever the hell they want. As a country, we should require that our government prohibit individuals from entering it who are so entirely incompatible to the core of our beliefs.
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